This is a fragment of the canton of a first national Confederate flag. The date
and place of issue is unknown. On July 22, 1864, (Battle of Atlanta) Color
Sergeant Ebenezer Priest was carrying the flag and urging men forward when he
was struck by a shell. The flag was torn to pieces and Priest was badly wounded
resulting in the amputation of his right leg. Priest's name appears on the
Confederate Roll of Honor.

This fragment of the flag was preserved by Ebenezer Priest and by his
daughter Alice Priest after his death. The fragment of the flag, a photograph of her
father and a newspaper account of his experience were donated to the Department
of Archives and History by Miss Priest on June 9, 1931.

Sources: Curator's Object Files, Civil War Flags, Alabama Department of Archives and History. Long, E. B. The Civil War Day By Day, an almanac 1861-1865. Garden City, New York, 1971. U.S. War Department, American Decorations 1862-1926. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1927.